In 1996, gamers cracked open 'Civilization II' and got hooked on the phrase, 'just one more turn.' Decades later, strategy titles still use the same trick: progress loops.

A closer look

In 1996, gamers cracked open 'Civilization II' and got hooked on the phrase, 'just one more turn.' Decades later, strategy titles still use the same trick: progress loops. Humans hate leaving growth unresolved; we stick around to see our tiny empire become a giant power. This craving fuels today’s mobile strategy apps too, cleverly shrinking turns into one-minute battles. But here’s the empowering bit: realize what designers exploit, and suddenly you gain back control. Next time you play, set your own turn-count as a stop sign—10 turns max and done. Game nights shouldn’t devour your sleep like an empire devours continents.